"Im listening to my own people talk that way about my own family," she said. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. There were only two candidates running for the district seat, which includes Glassell Park, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Westlake, Chinatown and Pico-Union. He said he would be open to a reasonable request from the department for additional funds. [34] Cedillo defeated Bray-Ali in the runoff with over 70% of the voters in Council District 1 on May 16, 2017. Pynoos, who worked for Councilman Mike Bonin, said she has a record of advising her former boss on proposals to cut the number of police officers and take traffic enforcement away from the LAPD. ", Fernando Guerra, a professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, when asked specifically about Cedillo's comments, said, "It's not appropriate to discuss any group by their physical traits. But outsiderdom is hardly an immutable trait. Bonin and Cedillo also had tensions in previous years over policy differences regarding bike lanes and homelessness. [citation needed] The bill allows drivers without a license who are stopped at checkpoints to have a licensed driver retrieve the vehicle and thereby avoid having the vehicle impounded for 30 days. Because of term limits, Cedillo could not run for reelection to the California State Legislature in 2012. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The 1,143-word document is the first time Cedillo has talked extensively about the incident. Soto-Martinez later said it was ridiculous for the issue to be reduced to a hand raise. He described abolition as a goal that would be reached only after the city has taken major steps to combat economic and racial injustice. Hernandez said that, if elected, she would not vote to hire any additional LAPD officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Hours after announcing a screening of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," embattled Los Angeles Councilmember Kevin de Lon postponed the event due to . On other issues, his office has been called unresponsive and aloof, with some constituents complaining that Cedillo is unwilling to engage with residents and groups that he disagrees with. And in a closely watched race in South L.A., educator Dulce Vasquez is attempting to unseat Councilman Curren Price. Times staff writer Julia Wick contributed to this report. I would be at home with [unreliable] internet with my little brother, overseeing his Zoom school too as Im trying to do my own work.. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. 02-2503-2490. [citation needed] Proponents state that the bill would finally narrow the large gap in education for a US citizen and an undocumented immigrant, thus providing equality and greater opportunity. Labor organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez, a candidate for Los Angeles City Council, hands out campaign materials and talks with voters in February in East Hollywood. Challenging Price in a district that includes much of South L.A., Vasquez cited a similar frustration with the status quo. It never should have been cut in the first place, he said. March 6, 2017 / 10:39 PM There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Cedillo participated in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). On the city's Eastside in District 1, City Councilman Gilbert "Gil" Cedillo is getting a run for his money from his only challenger, public policy advocate Eunisses Hernndez. Cedillo was one of four high-profile participants in the secretly recorded October 2021 conversation, which centered on Los Angeles once-a-decade redistricting process and included racist and derogatory comments about a rainbow coalition of groups. Your IP: The increase in crime its very visible. In the old days, you had 15% turnout and a candidate could talk to every one of those voters. Councilmember Blumenfield and Controller Galperin, like Councilmember Cedillo, are currently running for election. ", Guerra decried the racism in the conversation and lack of leadership shown in the group, and added: "I have never heard [Cedillo] utter a single racist or anti-Black comment in my entire life.". At the same time, Vasquez said, she would work to ensure that police no longer handle traffic enforcement, mental health calls, clerical duties or complaint calls about homeless encampments. Cedillo hasn't made any public comments since issuing an apology, and told The Times earlier this week that he didn't make racist remarks or mock his colleagues. Click to reveal She said she would launch community reviews of the most dangerous intersections, and advocate for bike lanes, bus benches and shelters, redesigned streets and pedestrian plazas, so its easier for people to get around without cars. Corado, a self-described police abolitionist, has the endorsement of Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, and has spoken in vivid terms about shutting down the LAPD. Cedillo has . We clearly are not being held to the same standards, Cedillo writes. involved with the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall promised by President Donald Trump before being able to work with the City of Los Angeles. He and his team got food distributed to needy residents, and COVID-19 testing and vaccinations in the community quickly. She said she saw Latinos being failed by every level of government during the throes of the pandemic. Thats good. Clearly, I should have intervened," Cedillo said in the statement, which also noted that "remarks made about my colleagues son were simply unacceptable. Former Council President Nury Martinez and former L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera quit shortly after the tape was disclosed. In a majority-minority city where most people rent, the relatively small electorate was older, whiter and more likely to own homes than the city at large. On September 28, 2006, Cedillo was arrested along with approximately 200 others for blocking Century Blvd. Hernandez had 50.65% compared to Cedillos 49.35%. [11], On January 8, 2009, Cedillo announced his candidacy for the 32nd Congressional District seat, which was vacated by Congresswoman Hilda Solis. There is a value to having contrary opinions in City Hall, where so many processes and policies havent been reconsidered for decades and the status quo isnt serving vast numbers of Angelenos. We have a Mexican in charge of the [City] Council, Cedillo said. Cedillo, 68, was trailing Hernandez by 292 votes, according to the latest count released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. L.A. City Council candidate Eunisses Hernandez greets a Glassell Park resident while campaigning. ", Communications consultant Helen Sanchez, who first worked with Cedillo in the late 1980s on then-presidential candidate Michael Dukakis' campaign, said the lesson is that "we need to speak up when someone is saying terrible things, even if they are our friends. Most of the challengers describe their opponents as too far removed from the struggle and too entrenched in the city establishment. On the issue of the LAPD, a much sharper contrast can be found between the two candidates running to represent the heavily Latino 1st District, which stretches from Highland Park south to Pico-Union. [citation needed]. He left office on December 12, 2022. Now he faces widespread calls to resign and criticism for not speaking up, and for at points chiming in during the divisive and loaded conversation that has left allies feeling brokenhearted and opponents emboldened. A fourth participant, Councilmember Kevin de Len, remains in office. The people in this city do not want to abolish the police. An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled her first name as Megan.. In 1977, Cedillo earned a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from UCLA. Hernandez has been a leader in one of the most significant criminal justice system reforms in the country first persuading county leaders to scrap plans to build new jails and instead invest in community-based mental health treatment and rehabilitation services, and then persuading voters to pass Measure J, which directed the county to budget at least 10% of its locally generated revenue for youth programs, affordable housing, restorative justice, job training and similar programs. Cedillo was already scheduled to step down Dec. 11 after community activist Eunisses Hernandez won the June primary in District 1. Throwing more money at LAPD is not going to make us safer, she said. Not long after the death of George Floyd in 2020, labor organizer Hugo Soto-Martinez protested at Echo Park Lake, where he and hundreds of others demanded cuts to the Los Angeles Police Department. Performance & security by Cloudflare. [38], In December 2013, Cedillo authored a Los Angeles City Council resolution urging President Obama to halt most deportations and to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to "all immigrant families who are not engaged in criminal activity. The man then drops the. Eunisses Hernandez beat incumbent Gil Cedillo outright in the primary and will take office next term. If people go to Target or Rite Aid, they dont want to be there when someone is smashing and grabbing.. Cedillo received 71,199 votes, Ten received 18,581 votes, and Murray Levy, a Libertarian candidate, received 3,469 votes. [22], In 2005, Cedillo authored SB60, another driver's license bill. 25). That's the case in City Council District 1, where policy advocate and community organizer Eunisses Hernandez is running against Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who is seeking a third term. Cedillo has received praise for his offices pandemic response. City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, 68, stepped in to guide the discussion among himself, Councilmembers Nury Martinez and Kevin De Len, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor leader Ron. [26] Cedillo remarked, It took a long time, but now its here. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Two days after a leaked audio recording jolted Los Angeles, angry. The city, he said, needs to get a handle on violent crime, which is up about 7% from last year. And its that kind of leadership Los Angeles needs on its City Council, when the city is struggling to ease homelessness, make housing affordable, build environmentally sustainable communities and make public safety more just. It operates separately from the newsroom. Cedillo argues that their task was particularly difficult because of former President Trumps attempt to exclude millions of immigrants in the country illegally from the 2020 census, writing: My former council district lost untold thousands of residents, and I have yet to see the media outrage for that crime against our Latino communities.. [35], Cedillo secured an endorsement from Bernie Sanders for his 2022 reelection race. Like Hernandez and Soto-Martnez, Vasquez is young and digitally savvy, but she is hesitant on the progressive label, saying that though she would probably brand herself that way, her views dont fit perfectly squarely in any box.. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Cedillo and Hernandez have taken plenty of swings at each other. Cedillo competed against Judy Chu, a former . Shes also focused on affordable housing production and tenant protections. Opinion: Guns are the biggest public health threat kids face. [2], Cedillo was born in Barstow, California and grew up in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Our campaign in no way condones the actions of these individuals, who appear to have been supporters of Councilmember Cedillo acting on their own. The three incumbents backed a $150-million reduction to Mayor Eric Garcettis police budget in 2020, only to favor an increase a year later. Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, shown in 2019. Earlier, the comments in the roughly hourlong audio veered into divisive and racist remarks. Hernandez who co-chaired a successful county ballot measure campaign in 2020 to steer more county money to social services and jail diversion programs said that more than one local elected official urged her to be a good girl and not oppose a longtime councilman who would be unseated in four years by term limits. This year, perhaps motivated by voters decision to move Los Angeles municipal elections to coincide with the gubernatorial election or by Nithya Ramans win in 2020 (when a newcomer ousted an incumbent), there are several well-funded, well-organized progressive candidates challenging council members, who have traditionally coasted to reelection. "There's no leadership in the Housing Committee," Hernandez charged this month in the Zoom forum. [3] His father worked as a mechanic at American Can in Vernon and was a member of the United Steelworkers of America. Hernandez's win in June signaled the growing clout of progressives in L.A., but also vocal frustration among some in Cedillo's district that he hadn't done enough on housing. They show up after it happens.. Councilman Gil Cedillo, a veteran politician forced into a rare runoff in 2017, is being challenged by community activist Eunisses Hernandez in a district stretching from MacArthur Park to. [7], Cedillo won a special election on January 13, 1998, to the California State Assembly's 46th district, and served there until 2002.[8]. Click to reveal Cedillo lost his Los Angeles City Council seat in the 2022 election to left-wing challenger Eunisses Hernandez. [23] Again, Schwarzenegger refused to sign the bill, on the grounds that it did not satisfy his security concerns. The Los Angeles Times editorial board determines the positions of The Times as an institution. After winning a L.A. City Council seat in 2013, Cedillo won reelection in 2017 in a race that saw his opponent, Joe Bray-Ali, undone for making incendiary comments on a website with racist content. The assembly bills, known as AB130 and AB131 for private and public financial aid respectively, became law. L.A. Times reporters and columnists pick it apart, line by line. They do not want to defund the police, Cedillo said in an interview. So they would be the essential workers, said Vasquez, a Mexican immigrant who at one time had been in the country without legal authorization. ), Inside the room: The entire L.A. City Council racist audio leak, annotated by our experts, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. Its not business as usual anymore.. You decide whether youre going to do chemo or even drink coffee.. Cedillo also writes extensively about how Black and Latino interests have both figured into his personal history, citing his leadership of the Service Employees International Union Local 660 at a time when it had more African American members than any other union in L.A. and his support of Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama as a Democratic Party convention delegate. Discussion of this topic led to assessing which Council members might support expanded Latino representation and who might see that as a step back for other communities, particularly districts represented by African Americans, Cedillo writes. Hernandez is a local community organizer who has been instrumental in pushing the County to build alternatives to incarceration", "LA City Council censures Kevin de Len, Gil Cedillo over role in racism scandal", "Unions save hospital jobs in Los Angeles", "Head of Largest County Workers' Union Is Fired", "County of Los Angeles Department of Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Official Election Returns January 13, 1998 - 46th State Assembly Special Runoff", "County of Los Angeles Department of Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk NOVEMBER 5, 2002 - GENERAL ELECTION Final Official Election Returns", "Twist-Tied in L.A. - Bridget Johnson - National Review Online", "How to Get Elected to Congress With 11,956 Votes", "Cedillo's money is talking - Los Angeles Times", "California Secretary of State Statewide Special Election - Statement of Vote, May 19, 2009 Special Congressional and Senate District Election Results", "California Secretary of State General Election - November 2, 2010 State Assemblymember by District", "Schwarzenegger scores victory in repeal of license law", "Pacific News Service > News > on Latino Minds: Schwarzenegger Can Handle Politics", "NUNEZ RELENTS ON LICENSES SPEAKER SAYS HE'D ALLOW SPECIAL DESIGNATION. Community activist Eunisses Hernandez, who is running for L.A. City Council, talks with Glassell Park residents. Our Black and brown communities are concerned that if police are defunded, we would bear the brunt of the decrease in public safety services, he said. [16], Following his failed bid for U.S. Congress, Cedillo was elected to the California State Assembly's 45th District seat in 2010. 65.109.71.124 LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Community activist Eunisses Hernandez declared victory this weekend over incumbent Gil Cedillo in the race to represent District 1 of the Los Angeles City Council. Hernandez is running against Councilman Gil Cedillo on the Eastside. We recommend Hernandez for Council District 1. He blocked bike lanes, including directing city staff to remove bike lanes from the widened Spring Street bridge. Vasquez, who signed the no new cops pledge, said she would support hiring enough officers to keep the department at its authorized strength of 9,706, the number backed by the council last year. Price has already played a role in shifting funds away from the LAPD. A member of the Democratic Party, Cedillo was previously a member of both the California State Assembly and the California State Senate . The greater the turnout, the more diverse the electorate is, including younger, more progressive voters, said Fernando Guerra, director of Loyola Marymount Universitys Center for the Study of Los Angeles. Animal Services places head of volunteer programs on administrative leave, fatally shot by a Los Angeles police officer, a successful county ballot measure campaign, Judges order blocks Herb Wesson from serving on L.A. City Council, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. Cedillo can be heard discussing his frustration with parts of his district. [36][37] However, he lost to political newcomer, Eunisses Hernandez. In the wake of Ramans 2020 win, some see a shift. We're in a different spot now than we were 25 years ago. Corados political career was born out of tragedy: His younger sister Melyda Mely Corado was fatally shot by a Los Angeles police officer at the Silver Lake Trader Joes where she worked in 2018. The council member has also been a barrier to building bike infrastructure and street projects designed to make it safer and easier for people to travel without a car. Bass apologized, and the public myself included accepted her explanation. Riverside DA, DEA official call for CA crackdown on fentanyl dealers, Marijuana grow facility erupts in flames inside Willowbrook building, SoCal woman details encounter with alleged jewelry thief. Full redactions of calendar items were extremely rare. He ran for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council representing Council District 1 and was elected in 2013. . ", He declined an interview request Friday, with his spokesman Conrado TerrazasCross saying, Councilmember Cedillo is at a place of reflection.". Hes been an advocate for marginalized communities for years and you cant take that away no matter what he said.". Cedillo argues that while the conversation crossed a line at several points, ultimately he and his colleagues were just doing their jobs and working to ensure that Latinos were fairly represented in the redistricting process. Vasquez is challenging Councilman Curren Price in South Los Angeles. Julia Wick is a Metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering City Hall and the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election. [18] Cedillo served as chairman of California's Latino Congressional Caucus. Nowhere is the array of views on public safety as vast as in OFarrells district, which takes in such areas as Silver Lake and Atwater Village. What was really being discussed? City Council candidate Dulce Vasquez at her home in Los Angeles in August. I just focus on the work and delivering services as a council member like I always have and focusing on a public service agenda and not a political agenda, OFarrell said. With no name recognition, little money and no paid staff, Salans placed third in a primary that OFarrell won outright with 59% of the vote. Cedillo attempted to speak to Bonin on the City Council floor Tuesday, but Graham-Caso advised Cedillo that an apology wasnt appropriate in front of the television cameras. Pay farmers handsomely to give up their water rights. You cannot be dismissive of the crime thats taking place, said Cedillo, who lives downtown. Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, I-5 closed through Grapevine as last wave of winter storm hits Southern California. Some think the realignment of the election calendar could radically alter the citys political landscape. [20] Senator Cedillo agreed to repeal the law he wrote under the agreement with the Governor to work on a bipartisan bill. A member of the Democratic Party, Cedillo was previously a member of both the California State Assembly and the California State Senate. Gilbert Anthony Cedillo (born March 25, 1954) is an American politician, who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district from 2013 to 2022. Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, How USC trainers saved Vincent Iwuchukwu after cardiac arrest, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, I-5 closed through Grapevine as last wave of winter storm hits Southern California, Dictators and criminals fear this USC instructor whos making the case for an Oscar, Photos: Mountain communities buried in snow | More on the way, Prosecutor in controversial Hannah Tubbs case suspended for misgendering defendant. 3.64.131.83 If it came to a specific vote on whether to hire armed officers to replace the resigned/retired ones, Hugo would vote against that, said campaign spokesman Josh Androsky, and in favor of investing more into unarmed responders and social programs that actually prevent crime.. Who can help student-athletes cash in? Wick says that he is to the left of the incumbent . This modern version of McCarthyism is a danger to democracy, not a defense. My mom to this day cleans houses. A Bass spokesperson declined to comment on Cedillos comparison. Community activist Eunisses Hernandez declared victory this weekend over incumbent Gil Cedillo in the race to represent District 1 of the Los Angeles City Council. But she said she didnt feel that her community could survive another four years of the same. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD. In 2001 and 2002 Governor Gray Davis vetoed two of Cedillo's bills that would have permitted this. Its likely that she and Cedillo will be the only names on the ballot, meaning the race would be decided in the June primary. David Zahniser covers Los Angeles City Hall for the Los Angeles Times. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. His mother was a garment worker at Sears and Times-Mirror Press. [12] In the blanket primary (now superseded by Proposition 14's "top two" primary system), Cedillo competed against Judy Chu, a former Monterey Park assemblywoman and vice-chairman of the State Board of Equalization;[13] the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, voted to endorse Chu. ", I know Gilbert, I know hes not a racist, Sanchez said. A self-described Mexican American Jew who has a Black brother-in-law and a Black nephew, Harris said she was left shaking after hearing Martinez's suggestion of striking the young Black son of a white councilmember, and questioned why Cedillo didnt shut down the talk. Albert Corado, a co-founder of the progressive advocacy group Peoples City Council, Soto-Martnez and Pynoos are among the other progressive contenders vying for a spot.